In the Mists
by Jp7010
Summary: Story of a fisherman and a Yafutoman in the middle of the events of Skies of Arcadia. Review please.
1. Rolana Ruins

Disclaimer:  
  
This is my particular blend of fan fiction. It does NOT use the original characters, but instead places my own characters in THEIR world. And more than often, in their events. This story will contain HEAVY spoilers about 'Skies of Arcadia'. Right up to the final scenes, and an assumed beyond.   
  
This may stray into elements such as descriptive violence (PG-13), vulgarity (PG-13/R), or romantic situations (R, i'll try not to turn this into a lemon). If it does, the rating will be adjusted accordingly.  
  
Special note: This story will take you to other assumed locales. If we add up the amount of people shown and assumed in all the villages of Skies of Arcadia, we only have, at a very generous most, 100,000. Which is a horridly small amount. Not to mention that after the rains of destruction upon Valua, that takes out half the population (It should also be pointed out that with this figure, half of the world's civilization would be working for the Valuan army/armada.). I also refuse to believe that in entire empires, only one or two villages. So, I have added several villages to Nasr, several more Pirate Isle and Sailors Island like islands, and expanded other empires.  
  
Try doing a realistic map of Arcadia. You can't. So, I take several artistic liberties in creating this. Warping the world back to something feasible, expanding empires, making this world take longer than 30 seconds to cross.   
  
I also tried to set up a basic distance of Arcadia. That failed horribly. So, I'm just making Arcadia a LOT bigger than it is perceived in Skies.  
  
Note: This disclaimer will ONLY appear in the first chapter.  
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The hail pellets smashed upon the rocks and shattered against the pieces of wood and metal scattered about. Jare awoke to the sound of metal clunking and the ice breaking. He looked around, trying to remember what happened to him. He was inside a small structure, ruins of some sort. The sailor could tell by the sounds outside that he was in the middle of a hail storm, which he remembered only happened when a rain system drifted close to an air rift. He stood up to try and look around the small building. It had degraded a lot over the years, it seemed to be very torn apart by the weather. There wasn't much to the place, most of it had collapsed in. Jare ran his hands through his long hair, trying to figure out where he was.  
  
He heard the hail start to let up. Jare stepped outside as the the last few ice chunks fell to the ground. The first thing he noticed was the giant black line of clouds, known as the dark rift. Suddenly he remembered why he was out here.   
  
A Valuan attack fleet had made it's way through the North Dannel Strait, and was attacking Nasrad. He was lucky enough to be departing Nasr anyways, and was able to run his ship past the armada. But there was a small group of black pirate vessels attacking evacuators, and Jare's unarmed fishing ship was a prime target. He had an idea to skim his ship along the dark rift, hoping he could survive the currents, while his attacker could not. It worked in the regard that it destroyed the black pirate's ship, but it also blew his ship way off course. Just that he was alive, and not at the bottom of deep sky was a sign of great luck.  
  
He figured by what direction he was headed, and the feel of the ground beneath him, not to mention the mountains opposite the dark rift, that he was on the eastern side of the Pyrynn continent. He remembered hearing tales of sailors looking for an old group of ruins that was supposedly a trade center in the old world. The 'Rolana Ruins', he believed the discoverers called it. Jare thought to himself, "At least i'm not on some boulder-island. Maybe if I wait around, a discoverer like Domingo, or Vyse will show up, hoping to claim some treasure. On the other hand, a black pirate looking for his friend could just as well show up".   
  
He decided it would be best to see if anything could be salvaged. He searched the wreckage of his old ship, and was fortunate to find his two pistols, but his rapier was nowhere to be found. There were no moonstones, no food, and no water. All of the hail that had fallen had already dissolved. He realized he would have to walk north, and up for the best. Luckily, he didn't have to worry much about which direction to head in. Jare picked up a few items of personal value, and started to walk north, along the Pyrynn mountain range.  
  
  
  
Hours passed. The hot sun, mixed with the red moon was almost unbearable in this dessert. Jare felt like he was about to pass out. He went through inhis mind what a death in the dessert would be like. Passing out of exhaustion, dying of dehydration. What an unpleasant end for a simple fisherman.  
  
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a moonstone-operated engine, piercing through the clouds. He looked all around to try and spot the ship. It's engine had an odd hum to it, one he had not heard in any Valuan or Nasr ship. The ship was nowhere to be found. While looking he realized he had walked a good high altitude, and was relatively high to the cloud cover above him. But he could not find the ship anywhere.  
  
A ship unexpectedly blew through the clouds above. It was a ship that Jare had never seen before. It was small, only a few people could live on it. It's bow was shaped very differently than any Valuan or Nasr ship. It's sail seemed to not be made of cloth, but of finely cut wood, which compressed in a zig-zag manner. On the sail was a picture of a lizard of some kind, a snake or similar beast. It's fins were unlike any he had ever seen.  
  
Jare hesitated in trying to get the ship's attention. He was unsure of what the amazing new ship's intentions were. But it was too late, the ship was already decreasing altitude towards his position. He moved his hands to on top of his pistols, even though he knew his handheld weapons would be useless if the ship decided to open fire.   
  
As the ship approached his eye level, he could make out a lone women on the deck of the strange ship. She was unlike any he had ever seen. She had slightly tanned skin, a very smooth textured face. She wore what looked like a mix between a dress and a robe, and had long black hair which seemed to be tied back with a pair of sticks. She couldn't be older than 19 years old. She held what looked like a spear wit a hook instead of a pointed end. She walked to the end of the deck, as approaching Jare.  
  
"Who are you?", she shouted at Jare.  
  
"Uh..", he stuttered.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I'm Jare, a fisherman who shipwrecked maybe... 10 leagues that way", he answered as he pointed back the way he came, "May I ask, whom are you? and where do you come from?".  
  
"Very well, I am Tilara. I come from Yafutoma, on the other side of this cloud barrier.", she responded, pointing back toward the dark rift with her weapon.  
  
"There's a land beyond the dark rift? Amazing, and everyone around here thought that was the end of the world", he said in wonder.  
  
"You said you were shipwrecked?", the Yafutoman asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Yes. I flied my ship a bit too close to the rift, and, the wind force tore my ship apart." Jare answered, "But, what are you doing here? and how did your ship make it past the rift?"  
  
"Yafutoman ships have the ability to go above and below the clouds. I'm here, because, well... our rulers forbid us from visiting the western worlds, but, I just wanted to, had to, see them with my own eyes", she confessed.  
  
"Ah, you're an explorer. I always wanted to be one, but, explorers don't make too much money", Jare also confessed.  
  
"Still," Tilara continued, "so, sailor, do you wish to accompany me? Or, should I leave you here under the red moon, in the dessert?"  
  
"So, I join you, and then what?", he inquired suspiciously  
  
"You join me, and be my guide to the western worlds, and in return... well, we'll see." She answered elusively.  
  
"Sounds better than rotting in the desert out here," he said, "Agreed". He climbed aboard her ship.  
  
"Let's go!" Tilara shouted, as she started to raise the altitude of the ship to beyond the clouds. 


	2. Under the Moon of Fire

The ship soared through the clouds like a snake slithering through grass. Jare spun the wheel of the Yafutoman ship as though it were second nature to him.  
  
"You know," he began to comment, "This ship is more manuevarable than anything i've ever seen. And how you've gotten it to fly above the clouds is quite an accomplishment."  
  
"Just a standard Yafutoman fishing ship", she replied.  
  
"Something tells me that this isn't so 'standard'", Jare said jokingly, motioning to the nearby weapons panel, which stood out like a looper, due to it's miscolorations, and sloppy installation.  
  
"Well, if a fisherman's going to go exploring, she has to be well equipped for the unknown", Tilara responded, "But anyways, where are we going, guide?"  
  
"The nearest port is Nasrad".  
  
"That sounds like our destination then!", she cut him off.  
  
"But, Nasrad was recently destroyed in a Valuan attack." he continued.  
  
"Valuans? Well, you'll tell me about them later." the Yafutoman said, deciding it would be best to pick a destination before proceeding with a history lesson. "So then, where should we go?"  
  
"There are a few more ports under the red moon", he wondered, "Maramba is probably the closest one".  
  
"Maramba? sounds like a plan, take us there, guide." she said, in the same joking tone as before.  
  
"Alright", he agreed, as he turned the wheel to head northwest, "But, your ship will be kind of conspicuous, not to mention you yourself".  
  
  
  
The hours passed as the ship sailed on towards the village of Maramba. Inside the bridge, Jare explained to Tilara the brief history of Arcadia. She listened intently as he went on and on about Valua, Nasr, and the Blue Rogues. She seemed most interested in a man named Domingo, a simple explorer and treasure hunter.  
  
Finally, Jare noticed the flaming volcanoes which outlined the sub-continent that Maramba rested on. "Alright, Maramba's shortly ahead. We should decrease altitude to seem less obvious", he suggested.  
  
"Take us down, then", Tilara commanded.  
  
As the ship descended from the clouds towards the traffic of Maramba, it was as though a moon had fallen down upon Arcadia. Every ship stopped to get a look at the odd design of the Yafutoman vessel.   
  
"You know, we'll probably get offered a LOT of money for this ship", Jare commented.  
  
"Here?" she questioned, motioning at the small port of Maramba.  
  
"No, but at some point we should head to one of the civilian ship yards, and there we will probably get offers", Jare replied. "I'm taking us into the left most dock".  
  
The ship slowed down as it approached the wood outcropping. A small crowd gathered to watch the foreign ship.  
  
"Is this what you meant by conspicuous?", Tilara questioned, watching the crowd form.  
  
"Ah, yes", Jare confessed, "Well, we should get ready to disembark", he added as he walked out onto the deck.  
  
As the ship grew closer, and slowed even more, Jare threw a bundle of rope to the pier, and moments later, jumped onto the pier himself. He tied the vessel down, while the crowd looked on. As the ship stopped, Tilara came out onto deck, and jumped onto the wood outcropping. The crowd gazed on in amazement at the Yafutoman. Tilara was a little embarassed, to say the least.  
  
"Go on! nothing to see here!" Jare shouted at the crowd, noticing the foreigner's discomfort with the crowd. They did what he commanded, and went about their work.  
  
"So, um, guide", she started to say to Jare, "What do we do now?"  
  
"It's getting late", he admitted, looking at the setting sun, "We should probably spend the night here. Tomorrow morning we can get supplies, and head out to Sailor's Island, or the Nasr Merchant Docks".  
  
"Sounds like a good idea", the Yafutoman said, "Is it safe to leave the ship docked like that?"  
  
"Yes", he assured her, "No one would steal a ship off of the docks. Besides, I think everyone would be too scared to touch your ship".  
  
"Well then, where do we spend the night?" she questioned.  
  
"There's an Inn in town", he said, pointing to the large door at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Well guide, lead the way", she demanded, motioning towards the stairs.  
  
  
  
The short walk from the docks to the Inn was almost too much for the foreginer. She was used to cool, moist, windy air. The dry hotness of the red moon was almost unberable.  
  
"Is it going to be like this through the entire kingdom of Nasr?" Tilara protested.  
  
"The red moonstones have the power of fire, and heat", Jare started to point out, "So, yes, this entire area is quite hot. Is it too much for the Yafutoman princess?", he added jokingly.  
  
She was too exhausted and hot to respond. Jare held the door open for Tilara, and followed in shortly behind her.  
  
"It's just as hot in here as it is outside", Tilara protested, after first stepping into the Inn.  
  
"Well, that's Maramba for you", the Innkeeper added, from behind the desk. "Will you two be staying the night?"  
  
  
  
Tilara could barely sleep in the Maramba bed. It was too high off the ground, and she was scared she would fall out. The temperature had decreased since the night came, but the red moon still heated up the desert, and the air was still too dry for her liking. After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, she got up and decided to go for a walk. Her companion in this journey was sleeping soundly, he seemed content to be sleeping in a bed at all. She remembered how they had met, how he had been shipwrecked. For how long, he didn't say, but she imagined he hadn't slept in a real bed for a few days at least. She slipped on her shoes, and headed outside their room.  
  
As she walked through the darkened corridors of the Maramba Inn, she thought about all that had happened, and why she was out here. She remembered it all so clearly. How her father had become lost at sea when she was only 11, and how she vowed one day to find him. The arguments with her brother. Her request to Lord Mikado to explore along the dark rift and beyond, and how he denied her access to a ship capable of such a job. How she became a fisher, to mask her true intentions. How she almost begged the legendary Ryu-Kan to help her. And how she one day just slipped away. That was only yesterday, she packed up like she was just going on another fishing expedition, but instead slipped across to the other side of the world.  
  
As she stepped outside into the empty streets of the small village, she noticed that the sun would soon rise. She remembered what her father once said to her, "I will one day will see the sun rise against all 6 of the moons". While she had come to terms with her father's disapearance, and assumed death long ago, but she felt she should still honor her father's live. She walked to the edge of the town, and leaned against a railing to do one thing her father had never done; watch the sun rise against the red moon. 


	3. The Fleet of Raiders

DISCLAIMER  
  
Several assumptions about the travels of Vyse, and the flow of Arcadia are made in this chapter.  
  
1) Vyse and crew flew right past Maramba, on the trip from Crescent Isle to Esperanza. They'll get Kilafa later.  
  
2) The Valuan fleet did not travel in a course similar to Vyse's, but rather traveled north, past the lands of ice. This is the only explanation for the early warning of the approaching fleet. If they came from north of esperanza, there would be no warning, they'd just appear on top of the village one day.  
  
3) The Nasrad fleet was almost totally decimated. Possibly one or two ships, but the backbone of Nasr's defense was gone. And this fleet protected everything under the red moon. Without this fleet, all of Nasr is highly vulnerable, and open to scavengers (read: black pirates).  
  
Check chapter 1 for the REAL disclaimer.  
  
btw, I know this chapter sucks. I was working on the pirates scene for 2 days. I'm sorry, they'll get better!  
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As the sun peeked over the horizon, it spread it's rays of hot air across the sub-continent of Maramba. The red moon turned the sun a bright red, and turned the sky a bright pink. In turn, the star made the moon of fire appear to actually be on fire.  
  
The hot air overturned the sand, and blew it everywhere. The coarse air blew past Tilara's smooth skin. As she looked towards the horizon, she saw a cloud of sand increasing in size, and start to blanket the sun. The cloud of sand started to worry her, she wondered if she should head back inside.  
  
As she pondered about the still growing dust cloud, Jare stepped up behind her.  
  
"One of the things about the sun rising against the red moon, is that it superheats the air. As the air becomes hot, it spreads through the cold air, and this kicks up sand. Thus, every morning, a sand storm kicks up", Jare explained, "We should get back inside, before it gets here".  
  
"Alright", Tilara replied, still in a slight sense of amazement.  
  
  
  
The Yafutoman was resting on the bed at the inn. She had become so tired, the height and style of the bed no longer mattered to her all that much. SHe hadn't noticed that Jare had slipped out, until he barged in loudly, that is.  
  
"Well, I got supplies, your ship's ready to go", he said, waking Tilara from her trance.  
  
"Um, okay, so, where do we go now?", she said, still half-asleep.  
  
"Well, I found out that when Valua attacked Nasrad, they also took out the merchant ship yards. Probably in fear that they would be used to build military vessels in retaliation", he started to say, "So, the nearest port is probably Sailor's Island, from there it's just a few hours to the Valuan ship yards. But we'll need to get a level 1 Valuan passport to get there. Luckily, I already have one, just don't ask how I got it".  
  
"So, Sailor's Island it is? What are we waiting for? lead the way, guide", she commanded jokingly.  
  
  
  
As they approached the docks, they saw a large ship of metal streak across the sky. It was the largest ship either of them had seen.   
  
"What is that?!", Tilara questioned in amazement, "It's almost as big as an anguila, or an arcwhale!"  
  
"I heard about those.. The Delphinus-class cruiser. I never would've thought Valua would finish with those so fast." Jare commented, pulling out a mini telescope to get a closer look at the warship.  
  
"But, if that's a Valuan ship, shouldn't they be firing on us?" Tilara pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, you're right", Jare responded, looking through his telescope, "Wait.. that's a-HA! That's a Blue Rogues ship! I don't recognize the flag... Hm, it's heading south. But there is nothing south of Maramba...".  
  
"Maybe he knows something you don't?" Tilara said jokingly, watching the ship start to dissapear from sight. "Hey, what's that?", she asked, pointing to something on the horizon.  
  
Jare turned his head to get a look, "I.. don't know", he admitted.  
  
The two looked at the small spots as they became bigger.  
  
"It... looks like a fleet of... Black Pirates!" Jare shouted, just as he heard the sound of cannons being fired. "Get down!" he shouted at Tilara, pushing her to the ground, and covering her, just as a barrage of cannon balls blew through the sailor's guild and ship parts dealer behind them, sending the building up in flames.  
  
"What should we do?!" Tilara asked, in a panic.   
  
"Get to the ship!", he commanded, pushing her along to the docks.  
  
As they approached it, a cannonball blasted right through it, sending it in flames, sinking down into deep sky.  
  
The Yafutoman screamed, "My ship!"  
  
"I think we have bigger things to worry about", Jare said, pointing at the small fleet that was growing closer.  
  
"What now? Why aren't they firing?", Tilara questioned, still panicing.  
  
"They aren't firing because it's easier to raid a village when it's not in flames", he replied, throwing back the bottom of his jacket to get to his holster. "They're attacking Maramba, because they know the Nasr fleet has been totally destroyed, so no one to oppose them", he added, pulling his two pistols out. "I hope you're trained at some form of hand-to-hand combat", he said, examining the two pistols, "Once they land, they'll be angry, and eager to raid this village. Knowing black pirates, they'll probably kill the men and children, and... rape the women".  
  
"Rape?", the foreigner muttered, with a tone of fright, "Real nice culture you have here in the west. I'm REAL glad I came here".  
  
"No use complaining about it now", Jare said, still adjusting his pistols. "Here they come!"  
  
The black pirates jumped from their hovering ship, but before they could move, Jare already had his twin pistols pointed at them.  
  
"Going somewhere boys?", he said authoritatively, "I wouldn't".  
  
"You can't beat all of us", the leader of the bunch snorted, a disgusting man, with an overgrown beard, an eyepatch, and a peg leg. As he said this, a few dozen more black pirates jumped from the hovering ships.  
  
"You're right, I can't", Jare said, dropping his pistols, holding up his hands.  
  
"What're you doing?!", Tilara whispered to him.  
  
"We can't win, not now. I have a plan, don't worry, just surrender for now", he commanded her.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing", she said, holding up her hands.  
  
"Okay boys, take them! Start rounding up the villagers, and then we'll get to raiding this place", the leader of the pirates shouted to the group.  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, Jare and Tilara were firmly tied down to the remains of the the sailor's guild. The black pirates set up a small base of operations at the docks. EVentually the group of pirates that went into the town came back out.  
  
"There's no one in the whole town, sir", one of the members of the search team said, "It's like the whole town was abandoned".  
  
"Hm, forget them then. It lets us get right to the pillaging!", the lead pirate shouted.  
  
His men let out a loud cheer, and ran into the town.  
  
"You two", the leader shouted at 2 of the pirates, "Make sure they don't go anywhere!", he commanded, pointing at the 2 prisoners. After he said this, he started to follow his men into the village.  
  
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Tilara whispered, struggling with the ropes.  
  
"Just be ready", he replied, fiddling with his ropes.  
  
"For what?", she asked.  
  
"For this", he replied, jumping free of the ropes, and bum rushing the closer of the two guards.  
  
Both guards were caught too off-guard to react to the situation. As he tackled the guard, he ripped the pirate's pistol out of it's holster. With the gun in hand, he spun away from the first guard, and shot the second one squarely in the chest. As the tackled guard started to stand up, Jare smacked the butt of the gun against his head, knocking him out cold.  
  
"I'm sorry you had to see that", he said to Tilara.  
  
The yafutoman, still in amazement, uttered "You're not just a fisherman, are you?".  
  
"No, but we'll discuss that later", he replied, looking around the harbor, at the 3 ships docked side by side.  
  
He chuckled as he jumped into the middle of the 3 ships. Inside the small bridge of the ship he fiddled with the weapons systems. Suddenly, a cannonball shot out of each side of the ship, piercing the boats on the two ends.  
  
"What was that for?!", Tilara shouted at Jare, "Now they'll know we're free, and come back here!".  
  
Jare stepped back onto the deck of the pirate's ship. "Do you know how to use one of these?", he questioned, throwing a pistold into her arms.  
  
"No, but I-".  
  
"Point, and squeeze the trigger", he told her, while cutting the rope holding the ship down to the docks.  
  
Jare walked back to the bridge, and turned the ship so that the starboard cannons were pointing at the top of the stairway leading into town.  
  
Eventually, the group of pirates reformed at the door leading into town. Each of them came, and stopped when they saw the cannons pointed at them.  
  
"Now", Jare started to command of the raiders, "You will take this ship, without it's armaments, and get out of here!".  
  
"Stupid boy!", the captain of the pirates started to shout, "The second you step off that ship, we'll attack you, and make you pay. You have no backup!"  
  
"I wouldn't say that", Tilara replied, pointing the gun at the pirate group.  
  
"And", Jare started to add, somewhat enjoying his current authority, "If you look behind you, you should see a rather angry group of Marambans".  
  
The pirates turned around, seeing what seemed to be all the people of the village, holding crude weapons, pointed at the group of scavengers.  
  
"Now", Jare began, "I am going to disarm this ship. You will stay right there, and once I am done, you will take this ship, and LEAVE".  
  
"Grr, fine!", the pirate snorted.  
  
  
  
The weaponless, overcrowded pirates ship took off, and headed into the distance. Jare and Tilara stood on the remnants of one of the piers, watching them depart.  
  
"You'll see us again!", the captain of the ship shouted, as the ship dissapeared.  
  
"Well Jare", Tilara began to say, "That was-".  
  
"Excuse me!", a big man said, stepping up to the two, "I'm the mayor of Maramba. And I just want to thank both of you, for saving our village!".  
  
"We couldn't have done it without you", Jare replied, being modest.  
  
"Hehe, yes, that is true. Well, I must be going, we still have to rebuild this place!", the muscular man said, starting to turn away, "Thank you again!".  
  
"Odd man, which is why I like this place", Jare commented. "You've seem to become quite adjusted", he added, turning to Tilara.  
  
"Yes, anyways, as I was saying", she started. "What do we do now? My ship has been destroyed. For the time being, all trade in and out of this little port has stopped. And we still don't have a new destination!"   
  
"Yes", he started to reply, pulling out a pocket watch. "I meant to ask, can you apply your yafutoman technology to adapt one of our ships to fly above and below the clouds?".  
  
"Yes, but-".  
  
"Good", he cut her off. "Then here's our ride!" he said, pointing up at the sky.  
  
Tilara turned around to see one of the oddest ship designs she had ever seen. It was a sail ship, with two masts sticking out of the top. But in addition to this, it had a fun jutting out from the bottom, and two masts with small sails sticking out from the sides. It also had a metal cover in the front, which seemed to house several cannons. It's flag design was a skull with a cigar in it's mouth. It seemed to be a very majestic ship.  
  
"That's the Claudia", Jare added. "A blue rogue ship. The captain is a man named Gilder. He's kind of unique. Him and his crew are always searching for 'the good life'. Whether that's adventure, gold, or women, or all 3, I don't think even he knows. I just hope he's actually on board today".  
  
"Gilder?", Tilara said, watching as a small life boat came out of the ship, on approach to the ruins of the docks, "I think you've mentioned him before".  



End file.
